Archive

  • By Month

January 2012

Leisure

Leibovitz journeys from Lennon to landscapes

If there’s one talent that photographer Annie Leibovitz is known for, it’s capturing the essence of celebrity. Her daring portraits of famed figures from John Lennon and Yoko Ono to a very pregnant Demi Moore are nothing short of iconic, imbued with a raw intimacy that lays these stars bare in more ways than one. The living legend has shot countless covers for such magazines as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, and has become a household name for her dramatic yet personal portraits.

By January 26, 2012

Editorials

Obama too cautious in State of the Union

On Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama began his election year State of the Union address with a war metaphor, comparing the unified American military to the dysfunctional Congress. Unity and cooperation proved to be the big themes for Obama in this speech, and correspondingly he proposed mostly moderate policy changes in an attempt to build an electoral base and appear above the fray of squabbling legislators. It was an all-too-cautious approach from the President at a time when the nation needs dramatic and immediate change.

By the January 26, 2012

Leisure

Neeson’s on Team Jacob

The odd phenomenon of Liam Neeson as an action franchise star doesn’t quite make sense, but it is undeniably fun to watch. He assailed his victims with both brawn and brogue in 2008’s Taken, and continues this rampage in his latest flick, The Grey. Directed by Joe Carnahan (The A-Team), The Grey is a survival thriller that builds steadily before ultimately falling flat, proving there are limits to the novelty of Neeson as a bona fide ass kicker.

By January 26, 2012

Editorials

GUSA strategy plays to University’s hands

The passage of yet another round of Student Activity Fund Endowment reforms this week begs a question about how the Georgetown University Student Association manages its relationship with University administration. A vote for SAFE reform this time around is surely a good one, but it is also a stinging reminder of what could have been.

By the January 26, 2012

Editorials

Private contractors poisonous in drug war

Academi, the military contracting firm formerly known as Xe and Blackwater Worldwide, was recently awarded a contract by the Pentagon to contribute to the “War on Drugs.” The company is notorious for scandals in Iraq and Afghanistan while providing auxiliary forces to the United States military, including the killing of Iraqi civilians and withholding of information regarding deaths of Blackwater’s own employees. Now, according to the BBC, it will be “providing advice, training and conducting operations in drug producing countries and those with links to so-called ‘narco-terrorism’ including Latin America.”

By the January 26, 2012

Leisure

Pie Sisters grab a slice of M Street

There’s only one word fit to describe Pie Sisters: Adorable. Everything about M Street’s newest bakery, from its tale of sisterly success to the miniature “cuppy” pies on display inside the store, is nothing short of gooey and cute.

By January 26, 2012

Leisure

Even Burr would duel you for these burgers

It’s 3 a.m. on a Monday morning, and you’ve got a perfectly understandable craving for sushi, a burger, and some chocolate chip pancakes. While this hankering may have seemed unattainable in the past, it can now be easily fulfilled at any time of day, any day of the year, and all thanks to the man on the ten-dollar bill.

By January 26, 2012

Leisure

Box Office, Baby! Trailer trash pollutes cinema

Watching a crowd walk out of a movie theater provides an instant litmus test for a film’s success. Groups of friends usually huddle together to debate a film’s merits, except in those rare occasions when a movie leaves them speechless—imagine the scene after a premier of 2001: A Space Odyssey or Apocalypse Now. Regardless, there should a knee-jerk reaction; you watch a film, and you judge it. Recently, though, the process has been reversed: people watch trailers over and over on the internet and pass judgment on a film before they’ve seen the real thing. As a trailer addict myself, I’ve found myself enjoying movies less and less recently. Going to a movie just seems like setting myself up for an inevitable disappointment.

By January 26, 2012

Leisure

Trash Talk: Monochromatic matchmaking

For better or for worse, America is hooked on The Bachelor. The long-running matchmaking experiment, which brings together one handsome young single man and 32 neurotic women in the hopes of fostering matrimonial bliss, has proven one of the most successful franchises in the history of reality TV. With age-defying host Chris Harrison in tow, the show’s team has figured out the perfect formula of exotic destinations, outlandish dates, and emotionally unstable—and often intoxicated—bachelorettes to create a phenomenon that continues to thrive despite its meager nuptial success rate. Nevertheless, The Bachelor strikes a chord with viewers because, at its heart, it presents America with an idyllic image of true love (at least while the cameras are rolling) that in some small way mirrors all of our hopes for our own fairytale endings.

By January 26, 2012

Leisure

Critical Voices:Human Again, Ingrid Michaelson

Known for her straightforward and light-hearted lyrics—including “I’d buy you Rogaine, when you start losing all your hair”—Ingrid Michaelson reveals a new side of her music in her latest release, Human Again. Aptly titled, Human Again keeps with the nature of her honest lyrics while experimenting more musically than she has in previous albums. Though the album resonates with a sound that is distinctly “Ingrid,” Michaelson moves away from her typically ukulele-driven melodies and toward more serious and emotional ballads that reflect the depth—and the limits—of her repertoire.

By January 26, 2012